South Asian cinema at the Sydney Film Festival 2026 brings together a diverse slate of films that move beyond mainstream narratives, spanning themes of love, survival, political ambition and crisis.
Even so, the limited presence of Indian cinema remains hard to ignore, echoing a concern many have raised about the festival over the years.
We start, perhaps unsurprisingly, with the Indian-Australian film – the kind of story that reminds us why representation matters in the first place. A rare one from our community – the other memorable feature from our own talent at the Sydney Film Festival being Bina Bhattacharya’s Here Out West (2021).
Don’t Tell Mother (Feature)
Melbourne-based filmmaker Anoop Lokkur draws on personal memories of growing up in 1990s Bangalore in this intimate family drama. Writer-director Lokkur who marks his debut with this film, partially financed it using savings originally set aside for a house deposit – a personal decision that inspired the film’s title.
Set in 1993, a pre-digital India where VHS tapes, cinema culture and everyday domestic rhythms shape life, the film follows a middle-class family navigating small joys and tensions within the home. Blending nostalgia with subtle social observation, this heartfelt film captures a changing world through a child’s-eye perspective, anchored by strong performances from its young cast.
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie (Documentary)
Based on Rushdie’s memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, this documentary goes beyond the story of an attack on one of the most influential writers of Indian origin to explore questions of free expression, identity, faith and resilience.
In 2022, Salman Rushdie was about to deliver a lecture in the United States when he was attacked on stage and stabbed 15 times within seconds. Critically injured, Rushdie was airlifted to hospital and survived after a long period of treatment and recovery. Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney traces the author’s recovery and emotional journey through Rushdie’s reflections and footage filmed by his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
The Cycle of Love (Documentary)
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel, this documentary follows Indian street artist PK Mahanandia’s extraordinary 6,000-mile journey by bicycle in 1977 from Delhi to Sweden to reunite with the woman he loves. Featuring present-day interviews with PK and his lady love Lotta alongside vivid reconstructions, the film promises to melt your heart.
The story of PK’s extraordinary journey for love also resonated with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who came on board as a producer, driven by its intimate yet universal themes of love, devotion and resilience.
Hanging by a Wire (Documentary)
A gripping documentary that revisits a 2023 real-life rescue attempt in Battagram, northern Pakistan, where a cable car carrying eight people (including six schoolboys) became stranded 900 metres above ground after its cables began to fail. The incident and the stranded passengers drew global attention as a tense rescue operation unfolded.
Directed by Emmy-nominated producer/director Mohammed Ali Naqvi, the film uses on-the-ground footage, drone visuals and cinematic reconstructions to recreate the incident while also reflecting on wider themes of class, infrastructure and resilience.
Master (Feature)
A political drama set in a forest village in Bangladesh that follows Jahir, a respected schoolteacher whose populist campaign on education, women’s rights and public reform leads him to an unexpected victory as a first-time mayoral candidate.
Directed by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, the film traces how Jahir’s ideals are tested when a controversial development proposal threatens to displace local communities, pulling him into a tense struggle between public duty and political pressure. The film won the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
100 Sunset (Feature)
A neo-noir drama set within a Tibetan community in Toronto, following a quiet newcomer who observes and occasionally steals from her apartment building.
The film traces her growing connection with a fellow Tibetan migrant trapped in an unhappy marriage, as both navigate loneliness and the possibility of escape.
Set against the community’s traditional ‘Dukuti’ savings system, it offers a textured portrait of diaspora life shaped by trust, restraint and quiet rebellion.
The 73rd Sydney Film Festival takes place from 3-14 June 2026, featuring over 200 films across various city centric cinemas.
For these films at Sydney Film Festival and much more, head to https://www.sff.org.au/.
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